What's Your Word?

Just mere days away from 2023 and I’m now thinking about my goals for this new year. Now I’ve never subscribed to the “new year, new me” nonsense that people convince themselves of every year. However, I do like to focus around one idea or one word. 

You may have heard that instead of making a list of resolutions, you choose one word to focus your year around. I love the idea of only keeping up with one thing. You have enough to deal with already without adding a list of resolutions on your plate, and that’s probably why by February 1 your new gym membership is already collecting dust. We’ve all been there. 

One word gives you purpose, focus, and something to align your day to day choices to without it being a cumbersome list. And the meaning behind your word can be as diverse as you want it to be. 

Imagine you choose the word “health” as your word for 2023. This can go beyond physical health. It can be aligned with your mental health, spiritual health, relational health…anything you need. 

So when you have to make a choice during the day…rarely happens, I know, think about what would align best to your word. 

How would choosing to interact with that coworker affect my mental health? 

How would participating in this conversation affect my spiritual health? 

How would eating this entire bag of Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch Doritos affect my physical health? (I can say that it didn’t help my physical health, but my mental health prospered on that one)

Being cognizant of your word allows you to make better choices when you focus on what it means to you. 

For 2023, my chosen word is “Peace.” I’ve allowed chaos, intrusive thoughts, and much more to steal the peace out of my life this past year. I intend to use this word to be mindful about how I am allowing people and situations to affect me. 

Here’s how I go about choosing my word: 

Make a List

First I made a list of all the words that could apply to what I want for the year. Any word that popped into my head during my brainstorming went straight on the list. This is not the time to filter yourself. Whether serious or silly, write it all down! I usually end up with anywhere between 15-25 words. 

Eliminate

Once you have made your completed list, then you begin to slim it down. This process may take more than one day. You will want to read and reread your list over and over, slowly eliminating options. Eventually you want to have your final words. Try to keep your finals down to 3-5 finalists to keep the selection narrow. 

 Final Choice

Making the final choice for your word is a personal experience. I choose a more spiritual route in my final word by praying about it, and seeing what God has for me. You may use a different method in choosing the word. You can meditate on it, journal about it, maybe you just take a nice hot bath and think on it in silence for a while. It’s completely up to you and needs no one else's input. 

When you have your final word, put it somewhere that you can be reminded of it everyday! Put it on a post-it note and stick it in your closet. Add it to the home screen of your phone. Write it in the front of your planner. Tattoo it across your forehead. Whatever you need to do to remember the purpose you’ve given for your year. 

May 2023 bring more triumphs than tribulations - more victories than valleys - more love than loss. 

Happy New Year! 

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